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On Saturday I went on a long bicycle ride south of Alicante. I passed the Salinas de Santa Pola:

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I passed this rocky beach along my favourite stretch of road, from Santa Pola back towards Arenales del Sol and Alicante. It is September, but summer is still in full swing. The temperature inland during my ride reached 35C. But since the vacation season around Northern Europe has ended, there are fewer people on the beaches. September and October are actually the best months for visiting our part of Spain:

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Sun-dried beans in the window of a grocery shop near Elche. I have no idea what they are used for:

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On Saturday night, we invited our friend Nereida to a local tapas restaurant for dinner. It is nice to sit outside, when the temperatures fall to the pleasant range:

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The waiter takes our order:

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One of the many courses, pulpo in the foreground and patatas bravas in the background. This is how you eat this kind of food; the plates are served and everyone just picks at the food:

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Sunday I went on a shorter bike ride, this time towards the north. I stopped by the cemetery of El Campello:

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The cemetery is extremely well-kept. It struck me that these “houses” of the dead are cleaner and in better shape than many houses for the living:

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This and the next image illustrate the advantage of cycling. This is the view of Río Seco (“dry river”) from a main road. Every time I pass this spot in the car, I want to photograph it but there is no place to stop. On the bicycle, I am riding on the shoulder, so stopping to take a snap is no problem. This image shows how arid our landscape is at this time of year:

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A farm with a large flock of goats and sheep. Every day the herder and one dog drive all these animals to nearby pastures for grazing:

Your photo of what you call “beans” looks to me to be what is known as St. John’s Bread which are the pods from a Carob tree. It is used for cooking, baking, and eating as a snack. I haven’t had any for years, but I loved it. It is totally edible except for the seeds. Has a sweet flavor. Hard for me to describe, but is sort of like a cross between maple syrup and molasses.
You should try some if you have a chance.